Fugue on a Familiar Theme (Happy Birthday to You)
David Chamberlin
Description
Here the fugue subject of J. S. Bach’s Toccata, Adagio, and Fugue, BWV 564, has been twisted into a decorated but recognizable rendition of “Happy Birthday to You.” The counter-subject is easily recognized as “and many more.” Difficulty is on par with Johann Sebastian's work; humor approaches that of P. D. Q.
Composer Comments
When I composed this piece, I gave it an ambiguous title to hide the fact that the theme was “Happy Birthday to You,” which was still under copyright at the time. In 2016 that familiar tune was officially declared to be in the public domain, so now the ambiguous title serves only…
Performance Suggestions
Not too fast! You and your listeners will enjoy it more that way—more time to appreciate all the fun stuff. Articulate as you would a Bach fugue. Unslashed grace notes indicate trills that start on the note above and on the beat. Slashed grace notes precede the beat (think cartoo…